Although Smokescreen attempted to keep his distance, he tried to not wander so far off that it would be difficult to find his way back. Being the rookie to get lost in the jungle wasn't on his to-do list. The last thing he needed was to cause more trouble for his commanding officer.
The jungle was every bit as hot as the desert, but with more humidity that made him feel less than comfortable. His frame slightly sweat in the form of condensation. The only positive of his current location that he was appreciative of was that it wasn't raining, although Magnus probably would have enjoyed that. Or, would he? Now he wondered if Magnus even liked rain… There was a lot Smokescreen realized he didn't know about Ultra Magnus and he felt like more of a jerk now for taking things too far too quickly. It was a stupid last second idea and he should have expected it to backfire. However, despite any of that, he knew he would have stopped if Magnus had really wanted that. He was ready to give up and take Magnus back to the surface, but instead, Magnus pulled him into a kiss. He kissed him first. That was the part that confused Smokescreen the most. Why did Magnus make a move on him and basically ask to be fragged? It didn't make sense and now, on top of everything else, part of him feared it was because he somehow pressured Magnus into feeling like he needed to do it. Reflecting on what happened as he followed the river downstream, it was obvious that he never had any good examples of appropriate behavior when it came to those you were interested in. Otherwise, he would have done things the right way. The way Magnus wanted it to be. So in the end, he knew Magnus was right about that much. No matter the intention or what happened afterwards, he still needed to make up for putting Magnus in that position. What he did wasn't right, and he knew he needed to apologize as soon as possible.
At some point, Smokescreen stopped and looked into the river. His optics catching a glance of the largest lily pads he had ever seen. They were big, even compared to him. "Wow…" He muttered as he looked around and realized there was patches of beautiful jungle flowers all over the place. In an instant, his processors clicked and he knew this was it. This was a way he could apologize in a way worthy of Ultra Magnus.
Ultra Magnus had finally begun to calm down after having 20 minutes of peace and quiet under the falls. Only the ambient sounds of the jungle broke the silence and it was soothing to his audials. This was exactly what he needed to get him relaxed enough to actually think about his current situation with that overly eager and scrap-headed soldier. It wasn't as if he hated Smokescreen for what happened. There was no denying that, when push came to shove, he was just as willing to throw regulation to the wind and take pleasure in the moment too. It still made him just as sick with himself as ever. Magnus closed his optics and lifted his head, letting the water wash over his face. Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him? He thought to himself. If he would just apologize for the kidnapping, maybe…
Stopping mid-thought when he felt a change in the water. His optics widened and his mouth opened in awe as he witnessed hundreds of beautiful flowers flowed through the water around him and floated down in the air from the top of the falls. Taking a step back, he looked around and couldn't believe how random and beautiful this sudden rain of pinks, blues, reds and purples was. Was this natural or… As Magnus found a better view of the top of the falls, he rolled his optics and crossed his arms, pretending to not be as impressed. "What's the meaning of this?" As if he had to ask.
Smokescreen jumped when Magnus suddenly called up to him. This caused him to lose grip of the giant lily pad he used to carry the flowers up there and it fell down the waterfall with the rest of the flowers that he hadn't tossed out yet.
Magnus watched the giant lily pad fall and gently float down the river. Then he looked back at Smokescreen. "Well? Are you going to answer for yourself?"
"Uh.. uh, yeah." He stuttered and made his way down to where Magnus was waiting. "I just thought…" Smokescreen looked down and rubbed the back of his helm, feeling embarrassed now. "I thought it would be a nice way to say sorry for kidnapping you. You were right. It was stupid of me and I'll never hurt you like that again. I swear on the Elite Guard."
"Don't drag my Elite Guard into this." Magnus replied with a raised eye ridge. "That said… I accept your apology. Despite my frame now being riddled with flowers and petals that I'll need to remove, your display was… endearing." He said warmly as he picked a few of the petals from himself and flicked them at Smokescreen, playfully. "Thank you."
Smokescreen quickly became less awkward when he realized Magnus enjoyed his gesture. "I didn't know you liked flowers. I'm glad my guess was right."
Magnus' smile faded and he looked down at Smokescreen a bit more seriously now, but his tone remained calm and soft. "It wasn't so much flowers as it was the fact that I was showered in them. You obviously put a ridiculous amount of effort into that apology for me. Only someone without a spark wouldn't be moved by that."
"I could do it again?" Smokescreen offered.
"No…" Magnus placed his hand on Smokescreen's shoulder and looked directly into his optics. "Once was enough. Besides… I think we need to talk about where we go from here."
This was a conversation Smokescreen knew was coming. "I know… You don't want anything with me and I get it. It's cool." He answered, trying to be understanding for Magnus.
"Well, actually, I wanted to make you a deal." Magnus said quietly, instantly getting Smokescreen's undivided attention as he waited to hear the mentioned deal. "Give everything you have to winning this war, soldier. If you do that, if we finally put an end to this and come out victorious, I would be willing to give you… us… a chance."
Magnus barely finished before Smokescreen exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! I promise! I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we win this war." He was hardly able to believe his audials. There was actually a chance for him to get with the lieutenant that he'd had a crush on from afar for so long. Nothing would hold him back from this now that it was an option.
"Good." This made Magnus smile. It somehow was nice to see Smokescreen so happy. "But this isn't the only part of the deal. I need to tell you want I want for our current situation."
"What is it…?" Smokescreen stopped mid-celebration.
Magnus had to pause a moment, but only to say it as clearly as possible. "The others at base absolutely cannot know about us or our future plans. Don't get too close to me, don't treat me any differently, don't do anything to raise suspicion that although we're not in a relationship, we may occasionally break regulation for a stress-reducing interface."
Smokescreen's faceplates heated. "Did… did you really just say what I think you just said, or are my audials failing me?"
"Do you really think I'm the type to make these things up? Don't make me change my mind." Magnus crossed his arms again. "You're not the most regal bot to ever be infatuated with me, but you're not the worst either. Maybe it's because you're actually capable of making me feel better in way I've not yet experienced and that's why I'm somehow enchanted by you? But my point is, if you were to accept this, I may be open to the possibility of one more round before we go back. Provided you never mention it to anyone and wash off with me afterwards as to not raise suspicion. What do you say to that?"
"Yes. Please?" Smokescreen's spark felt like it could pop out of his chest cavity and he couldn't have imagined things turning out better.
Ultra Magnus smirked and leaned forward to kiss Smokescreen quickly. "Use your phaseshifter to find us somewhere private so that noise isn't an issue." He said softly.
Smokescreen didn't hesitate to do what Magnus asked and found a large enough cavern behind the rock walls of the waterfall for the two of them to share another interface together.